trimming patches at barrel?

[steelerzzz]

What is used to cut, and what is the proper method for trimming patches at the muzzle for prbs? Thanks in advance!

 

[jtmattison]

Use a very sharp knife. There are patch knives of various designs available from good muzzleloading suppliers. Personally, I use my leatherman at the range so I don't dull my good patch knife.

Lay the lubed patch material over the muzzle. Most people have it cut in strips. Place the ball on top and seat the ball just below the muzzle with a short starter. Gather up the patch material in one hand and just cut it off flush with the muzzle. Seat the ball down on the powder and you're set.

HD

 

[shmrck1]

steelerzzz,
All I can tell you is what I do.I use strips of ticking, prelubed...Use short starter,cut off all material at the barrel.I have used everything from a very sharp knife to a straight razor.
Hope this helps.
snake-eyes :hmm:

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Place a lubricated strip of cloth across the muzzle, place a ball atop the cloth and press down into the muzzle. Using a short starter, drive the ball into the bore until it is just below the muzzle, It's best to have a short stub on the starter adjusted to seat the ball just below flush. Holding the rifle between the knees, with one hand gather up the excess cloth and while pulling upward on the cloth, take the patch knife in the other hand and slice off the cloth flush to the muzzle. You now have a ball perfectly centered in a patch of perfect size, use the long leg of the starter to run it down 6" or so and ram on down to sit snugly atop the powder, prime, fire and enjoy.
Any sort of knife will work as a patch knife provided only that it be very sharp. Cutting cloth will take the fine edge off a blade rather quickly and it does need to be razor sharp to cut cleanly, in fact some use a straight razor as a patch knife but any belt knife or pocket knife will do if you don't wish to buy and carry a dedicated patch knife.
The process as described may sound time consuming but with a bit of practice you will likely find it quicker than separating one precut from a stack, picking off the loose threads, centering it and the ball and starting it down bore. Many people will cut or rip the cloth into narrow ribbons which they hang from the belt or pouch strap so that it is always handy with no need to dig around in the pouch. I always have to chuckle at people who think they can't shoot without those little disks which come in plastic bags. When I started shooting muzzleloaders it was a challenge to find powder and caps, no one was selling precut patches. :grin:

 

[musketman]

What is used to cut, and what is the proper method for trimming patches at the muzzle for prbs? Thanks in advance!

A lot of people have a patch knife, which is, in all respect, a small thin bladed knife of around two to three inches in blade length. I have seen straight razors modified for this use too.

Cut or rip your patching material in strips wide enough to get the job done, you can measure a store bought patch for the width and go from there or put a round ball on the material (without the gun) and pull the material up around the ball tightly, then with a pen or marker, draw a circle around the ball's circumference about 3/4th the way up. Remove the ball and measure the widest part of the circle you drew, then cut your strips to this width. (width's vary caliber to caliber) Strips can be prelubed or rolled up dry and spit lubes as needed.

To use, powder first, then position the length of lubed patching material over the muzzle and thumb start if the barrel is coned or use a short starter until the ball is just sub-surface of the muzzle.

Then lift the material and pull slightly upwards on all areas to expose the underside, take your patch knife and cut the material even with the barrel, take care not to saw the edge of the blade into the crown of the muzzle.

Once the material had been cut, remove the strip and finish loading with your ramrod like always. Some people use the stripes of the patching material to align the material the same way shot to shot, some do not. Some cut their strips double/triple wide and cut many shots from them as needed, the strips look like Swiss cheese when they are through with them.

If the strip of patching material is prelubed, it runs the risk of dirt and fodder getting stuch to the exposed lube, the lube itself can also dry out with time. Spit lube works well unless the gun is to be stored loaded, then the spit could cause rust in the barrel plus it will dry out over time. Don't over lube your patches or you could dampen your powder charge, nothing is set in stone, try many different ways and see whar works best for you.

 

[Claude Mathis]

Here's a few previous discussions.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/198721
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/219803
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/218342
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/199265

 

[Black Hand]

Don't wish to change the topic, but if you are going to cut at the muzzle, why not make pre-cut patches? Cut into squares and pre-lubed, the pre-cut are quicker and easier to use....

But if you must cut at the muzzle, use your belt-knife. One less thing to carry (patch knife).

 

[Blizzard of '93]

when going hunting I carry a loading block with 4 PRB's already patched and ready to load. usually at the range I use pre-cut square patches, I can't tell any diff from cut at the barrel when loading.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The reason one carries two knives is because they are called on to do different functions. Its the same reason you have more than ONE SCREWDRIVER!

I can skin out a deer, and field dress it with my patch knife, but if I am cutting small diameter sticks for fire tools, or firewood, I want to use a blade with a stronger, wider edge bevel. For the field work I do, I can get by with just a patch knife, and an axe, but the belt knife is traditional, too.

Most traditional belt knives will have blades longer than 5 inches. I can hone more than one bevel on such blades, to maximize the variety of work I can do in camp, or in the woods, hunting, with that single blade. I put 3 different bevels on one blade for a man who insisted on using the point to open cans, the belly for slicing( gutting) and scaling fish, and the rear flat edge for whittling sticks.

By contrast, the patch knife needs a single thin bevel and a straight flat edge. That is why straight razors make such handy patch knives. It also helps to put a bevel on just one side of the blade, as if you were making a chisel, so that you get a clean straight cut of the patch across the muzzle of the barrel.

With a single bevel, using a strop will keep the razor edge on that patch knife for months of use. You will know that your blade needs stropping, if and when the edge begins to hold " fuzz" from the fabric you are cutting.

The reason to use a curved blade over that of a straight razor is the mechanical advantage that a curved edge has in cutting material in one stroke. This is the same principle that blade makers use when making swords.

My personal experience is that a standard straight razor will work well in cutting patches up to about .54 caliber. Larger diameter bores have that much more material in the patching, and a curved blade is more likely to make the cut in one stroke. Just be careful to cut with the edge moving away from your body, and not toward it.

 

[Black Hand]

Paul,
Cutting is cutting. We're not performing surgery here, we're cutting cloth. You can over-analyze it all you want, but a belt knife does the job just as well as a patch knife, and is a multi-tasker.
Albert

 

[Blizzard of '93]

lighten up Black Hand, Paul V. is just your run-of-the-mill perfectionist! :grin:

 

[BrownBear]

I can't overemphasize the SHARP part. Anything less than razor sharp turns it into a hassle. But with a really sharp knife, any knife, a quick swipe gives you a perfect patch every time.

It's really not any slower than prelubes, time you fish around for the container of prelubes, open it, peel out a patch, close it, and put it away. A hunting pard got me in the habit of keeping a strip of patching tied to the strap right above my possibles bag. Lube isn't quite as handy, but I'm skulling over that right now.

 

[Black Hand]

lighten up Black Hand, Paul V. is just your run-of-the-mill perfectionist! :grin:

I guess I'm too much of a pragmatist in this. I spend enough time in the woods that I prefer not to double-up on anything. Most everything I carry can and should do double-duty (with exceptions of course). Weight is at a premium when you are covering miles. I'd rather carry the extra weight as food anyway :haha:.

 

[tg]

I found cutting at the muzzle not to be required as my guns would shoot as well with pre cut square patches, when I did cut I have used a 12" butcher knife with good results when I didn't have anytning else.

 

[Old40Rod]

Get yourself one of these:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(r...D=9&SUBID=56&STYLEID=201&PARTNUM=BLADE-PAT-03

some walnut scales:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(r...ID=9&SUBID=56&STYLEID=207&PARTNUM=KP-WALNUT-S

a few rivets and go with it. I love this blade and use it for all sorts of cutting. It sharpens like a dream.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I have one of those. it does indeedy take a sharp edge. I strop mine to razor-sharp.

 

[longcruise]

Double ditto! Easy to sharpen and work with. I've made three of those for myself and family members and we all love em. Have made some out of discarded saws all blades too and as a matter of fact am working on another now. Easy to make if you go slow with the grinder and keep dipping in water to keep it from going soft. When it's done, put it in the kitchen oven, set at about 380 deg and leave for about two hours and then turn off and remove when cool. Use handle style of choice. I usually glue a tang into an antler.

Any knife is a patch knife if it is sharp enough and readily accessible as you shoot.

 

[MikeChapin]

I've made several patch knives from these blades.

Norwegan Blade

 

[almrl]

We spend so much time varying patch thickness, ball diameter, powder brand, granulation, lube, and charge weight, that the couple of ounces of a properly designed patch knife seems like a small price to pay to insure accuracy.

Just a thought.

Old Coot

 

[Claude Mathis]

We spend so much time varying patch thickness, ball diameter, powder brand, granulation, lube, and charge weight, that the couple of ounces of a properly designed patch knife seems like a small price to pay to insure accuracy.

The consensus on the Forum seems to be, that a round, square or cut at the muzzle (square with round corners) shape makes no difference in accuracy.

Just what is a "properly designed patch knife" and how could it effect accuracy?